A Very Fine Plan

They have a TV show the kids really like!

silly funny... kind of a cult (niche) following 

Sometimes the best layed plans really do work, as in last Saturday... My friend Sue and I took five teen boys (14 - 18) into NYC via train to Penn Station to see the comedy team of Tim and Eric at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square.  This was her treating us for her older sons's birthday.  The younger brother got to invite a friend, that's where we come in to the picture.

It was a perfect afternoon/evening:  We took a 3 o'clock train and arrived at 4pm, then we hoofed it 11 blocks to 44th Street to get on line early for general admission.  We did our mothering thing for awhile until they shooed us away.  We killed about a half hour sizing up the situation and offering a myriad of instructions about staying together etc, etc... It wasn't that hard to leave with the thought of a glass of wine and dinner waiting for the Moms!  They had about an hour to stand on line and and an hour to wait inside and the show didn't start until 7pm, ending at about 9:15pm... So we had a comfortable amount of time to dine and even get some shopping in too.

  We dined at a favorite spot,  I wrote about last year,  Gallo Nero Wine Bar and Restaurant, mostly for the atmosphere, small, intimate (not noisy) and beautiful candle lighting, a great place to relax with an amazing wine selection.  The grilled octopus with olives and capers was fantastic and a first for my friend, the rest of the Italian fare was good but a little salty... but boy did we enjoy ourselves!
After a most enjoyable dinner we sauntered back to Times Square with about an hour left to shop.  Since Hannukah was only a few days away (Dec. 1), I had a few little things left to buy the kids which I found at the Billabong Super Store right near the theater at 44th and Broadway... I bought long socks to go with the latest trend of wearing lacrosse shorts in Winter, and a cool hat too.
Then we went into the bustling Levi's Superstore where I spotted some great stuff for me and today I see on their website that there's 40% off on many items, including this sweater I liked...

Fair Isle Sweater, was $89, now 40% 0ff

... great with these black legging jeans

We were back at the theater just in time as they were letting out, but none of our kids came out!  First we were a little panicked, but then we remembered that they were selling merchandise, like posters and T-shirts, and since they're our kids we knew they would be shopping too.
We had to run to make the 9:51 train and we did with only 4 minutes to spare...
I was tired, but a good tired, after hosting Thanksgiving, a cousin sleepover at our house, running the kids around on Friday, and this satisfying Saturday, I knew I would sleep well and rest on Sunday.

Thanks Sue for a great time had by all!

My San Fran

This is where I'll be tomorrow... my old stomping ground for over a decade!

The kids (12 and 14) are staying home... we'll be flying NY to SF... and what it took to make arrangements for them for 5 days... well, I hope it was worth it.

Thanks to my sister-in-law and great friends the arrangements are set, with the kids all over the place on the weekend (homecoming weekend) and to all their scheduled activities during the week I consider it quite a feat... so will it be out-of-sight out-of-mind or will I be worrying and calling the whole time! 

Or worse, will they be calling me while I'm taking in every moment of only the second time my husband and I have ever left the kids (last year in New Orleans was the first)...  just the two of us!

This time it's harder they're older, with one in high school, it's way more complicated this time.  The homework, the activities... OMG my head is spinning and I'm stressed out, but I'm hoping that 6 hours on the plane I'll decompress and the excitement will build... there's not much I can do 3,000 miles away and 3 hours time difference... just have to enjoy every minute of this beautiful city by the bay.

I'll be taking tons of photos... not touristy stuff, but what San Francisco has meant to me and of the SF that's new after 8 years since my last visit.

I hope to eat my way through this great culinary city starting at the Ferry Building Marketplace to the Mission District... and we'll be walking off all that food by walking everywhere we possibly can including all my old neighborhoods... Russian Hill and Protrero Hill... seeing my old school, The San Francisco Art Institute, where I hear they have a cafe at the school with spectacular views of the bay and beyond and where I once used to hang out with artist friends.  

One of four murals in the Bay Area painted by Diego Rivera

Have a great weekend and I'll be back blogging next Thursday the 28th.

Big Bambu'

Yesterday we took the kids into the city (NYC) for a day of high and low cultcha at the MET and dinner in Chinatown...
The artworlds twin brothers, Mike and Doug Starn, were asked to create a site-specific installation on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art... the monumental bamboo structure is an ongoing work in progress constructed by a team of artists and rock climbers.  This network of 5,000 interlocking bamboo poles tied together with nylon rope is like a forest at the base and is walkable above on elevated pathways if you book the walking tour.  We came too late in the day for the tour yesterday, they were sold out by noon, but it was still very cool...

It was a spectacular fall day and the people watching was one of the best parts!

Tomorrow, more about our day...

Sukkahs in the City

What a way to spend the last Sunday of summer...
I drove the kids into the city (NYC), picked up my mother and rode the subway down to Union Square to see a 2-day architectural display called 'Sukkah City'.  What is a sukkah?  The sukkah is a temporary structure erected for one week each fall for Jews to gather to celebrate the harvest.
This was a design competition, 600 architects entered and only 12 radically innovative structures were chosen to be displayed in the square yesterday and today.  We had a chance to cast our vote for our favorite sukkah, which will then stand in the square for the duration of the holiday of Sukkot, which begins this Wednesday.
Here are a few of my favorites...

My kids loved it and were snapping photos on their phones to send to friends...

  

After strolling through the square for about an hour we headed a few blocks south to 'The Stand' for a burger and the best shake I've ever had... "Marshmallow Shake"...

We finished the day at Spin, a table-tennis club on 23rd and Park Avenue.  My 14 year-old is obsessed with ping-pong!

We had a great day... I miss the city and all the energy swirling the air!

What's your perfect day in NYC?

If Things Could Speak

It's 2010 and THINGS can speak, now that there are companies like Stickybits, "a fun and social way to attach digital content to objects"...

Stickybits

 In The New York Times Magazine, September 5th issue, Rob Walker wrote a short, but eye-opening article about a technology that will change how we see 'things'...  just scan an object (it's barcode) and you'll get the story of the thing, maybe more data than you cared to know, but it's powerful stuff with many applications...

Itizen is another company, "offering an online service that provides a way to tell, share, and follow the 'life stories' of interesting things".
It's free to sign up with these companies and for instance, Stickybits has teamed up with Zazzle to offer products that make great gifts, or if you're in the job market, you can order a business card where you can attach your resume to it for a potential employer... that would surely impress them!

Meeting Mr. Kimmelman

The BIG story of the day yesterday at the US Open,... the horrific 95 degree temps, the hottest in US Open history.  The BIG story of my day... meeting Michael Kimmelman, yes, after my blog post yesterday, I was surprised to actually come face to face with him just as people were arriving for the start of the first matches of the day.  I think he was taken aback and so was I as I blurted out, "Kimmelman"... it just came out, unedited... OMG what had I just done... could I save both he and I from embarrassment?!

So I said something to the effect about how I appreciated what he and Marzorati were doing at the Open with their blog, "Straight Sets", and the idea of cross-pollinating an art perspective with tennis, as the Times put it, ..."covering the Open from uncommon perspectives".

I broke into a sweat and it wasn't from the air temperature, not yet anyway.  Then he graciously went over the play schedule with us and what players we didn't want to miss... I mentioned that I was an artist, he asked what kind of work I do, I started to answer and then I'm not sure what happened after that... my friend took some photos of us and then were off to a sweltering hot day of tennis which at times seemed unbearable, possibly even heat-madness dripping from our pores, testing our patience with each other, while watching the very best in tennis... a memorable birthday.

I will be checking in daily with Straight Sets... thanks Kimmelman, stay cool.

Art Meets Tennis

I'll be spending my birthday at the US Open today.  All of my friends that are going with me have kids who play tennis and they will be thrilled to spend this hot hot day at Arthur Ashe Stadium as well as all the side venues.  Spotting famous players will be a thrill for them!  Spotting Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, would be my thrill.  As an artist, meeting him would be a highlight to my day.  Although he may be not be considered a celebrity to most, I read his work and I'm very excited to see this kind of cross-pollination from the Times.  Yes, he will be there with Gerald Marzorati, editor of the New York Times Magazine and big tennis fan, and they'll be blogging about the US Open... called "Straight Sets".

The first time I ever saw this kind of cross-pollination was many years ago when Gene Siskel, movie critic, was interviewed on TV about the Olympics... so go guys!

A Local News Forum

Simply called Patch... "a local source for news, events, business listings, and discussion"... I heard about it through a friend, writer and teacher extraordinaire... Today was the launch of my local Patch in Dix Hills, NY, with editor Karen Forman.
I'm excited to be a contributor, writing articles with the 'Mom' audience in mind... about the spicy rumblings going on in my backyard...  especially when it comes to FOOD, where to get it, how to cook it, how other people cook it, how to eat it... fresh and healthy, one meal at a time!

Check out 'Patch' in your community, if you don't have one yet, maybe you can get one started!

Thanks Rissa and Sharon for turning me on to Patch!

The Ice Queen Cometh!

Imagine boasting to own the title of "The Ice Queen"... there are plenty of ice queens... I happen to know a few myself... but none that deserve the title more than Dominique Colell from California who carves ice with a chainsaw while donning a white gown in the sub-zero temps of Alaska!  She and her 70-year-old Dad make up 'Team Ice Queens' carving a 50-foot Eiffel Tower...

... competing against 3 other teams including 'Team Texas', a few Bad boys from the Lone Star state carving a delicate spider and scorpion sculpture... the show "Chainsaw Ice Sculptures:Challenge Alaska" airs this Monday on TLC at 10:00pm...

It's fast-paced, it's dangerous... the perfect formula for a show my kids will watch... a great family activity.

Let me know what you think on Monday... leave a comment below.

Have a great weekend!

The Digital Bookmobile Came To Town!

A Pleasant Surprise...
Yesterday, my 14 year old son and I just happened upon an eBook 'eVent' at our Long Island, NY library... it's hard to miss an 18 wheeler in the parking lot...

Download digital books, audiobooks, video and music... This FREE download service is available through the library website 24/7... and all you need is a PC, MAC, and many mobile devices too (i.e. Sony Reader, Apple iPod iTouch, MP3, etc.)...

Inside the Bookmobile

 All you do is Browse, Check Out, and Download...  so easy... To learn more about it and to check out the digital collection go to www.suffolkwave.org or go to the library website and look for 'Digital Bookmobile'... Millions of people are already using digital readers!

My only disappointment is that music and video are not available on MACs and it also doesn't work with The Kindle because the books are purchased from Amazon.

So parents, before school starts, now is a good time to check it out... oh, and many libraries throughout the country support this same service so ask at your library.

Your Own Show

How would you like to be the CURATOR of your own show, a show of collections of things you love, that you can share with your friends... and follow collections created by other people (with great taste)... well, it's a brilliant idea, called Pinterest... it uses FB to find friends too!
The staff from sunny California (where else do most of the new ideas come from), suggests their favorites and all you do is click 'follow'...

Ben from Pinterest put it this way, “We both found ourselves asking friends for suggestions — good beer, nice gifts for cousins, books, art. We noticed that the people you really trust are actually collecting ideas all the time. They have folders on their desktop, links in emails, and bookmarks. We thought it’d be great if they had a space to share all those great finds. How cool would it be to browse your most well-read friend’s bookshelf, or dvd collection, or closet, or art portfolio? We both felt like you shouldn’t have to start a blog or spam your Facebook friends to share your taste."

Here are just a few things I like and pinned...

Try it... it's so much fun!!!

Raw Corn Salad

As I mentioned last week, I had a 'Girls Night' cocktail party August 4th, inviting old and new friends (they mixed a little), and everyone had a really GREAT time.  Tomorrow I'll give you the whole menu, but one dish that was clearly a hit, was a version of a salad my sister recommended that my nephew made with raw corn... so delicious, fresh and crunchy!
This means the corn needs to be really fresh...  buy it that day and preferrably from a local farm stand, but the supermarket will do too.  This salad has three basic ingredients , raw corn, red onion, and avocado, but for this party I added chopped steamed shrimp to make it more of a main attraction at the cocktail party... and boy was it!  It's a great side dish without the shrimp to accompany any summer meal.
So here it is...  Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad... oh, one other thing... I had used all my limes for the Mojitos, so I used lemon juice, either works or both for that matter...

A Jazz Weekend

Pack up the car this weekend with just a few picnic things, especially lawn chairs and a frisbee, don't forget the KIDS, then head north (an easy drive) to BEAUTIFUL (about 2 hours from Long Island), I mean GORGEOUS Kent, Connecticut, for the Litchfield Jazz Festival at the Kent School...  you won't regret it.
  First of all, buy Lawn tickets (online or there), the weather is going to be perfect both Saturday and Sunday, secondly, you need to expose your kids (and yourself) to something other than Top 40 hits, even if they're running around seemingly ignoring the music, they're NOT, because they're like sponges, everything permeates those growing brains.

There will be food, crafts, and other exhibitors... something for everyone!

If your child plays an instrument you'll want to walk over to the 'Second Stage' and see the kids who attend the Jazz Camp perform in small group combos throughout the weekend...

My son attended the Jazz Camp and will be playing this weekend

More photos (by Antonio Monteiro) of the kids from previous summers...

                                                       

Tickets are $29 online and $35 at the gate per day for an All-Star Lineup... and the festival actually starts tonight!

Have a great weekend... and tell them Mama Lisha sent you!